deionized water versus distilled water

Popsie wrote:
I was watching a TV show about a family living off the grid in Australia.

They had a solar system for generating electricity.

The fellow made a point of saying that they had to use deionized water in their battery bank.

I've always used distilled water (from the grocery store) in my lead-acid batteries.

What's the difference between distilled water and deionized water, and would deionized be better for use in lead-acid batteries?

If it's better, where do you get deionized water?

Just be aware that distilled drinking water bought in stores actually HAS minerals PUT BACK into the water for taste purposes (pure distilled water tends to not "taste" very good). Read the water bottle, typically it will state something about minerals added for taste.

So using distilled drinking water is basically no better for your batteries than using tap water (unless you are like me and have a water well which is very high in iron and minerals)...

With that said, I have in a pinch used tap water from my well with no ill effects although I have only done that a couple of times over the last eight years..

One of the best sources for battery water comes from a dehumidifier IF you keep the coils and bucket clean. No minerals in dehumidifier water, water comes from condensing the moisture from the air..